Minerals Resources

Minerals are among the earth’s naturally occurring materials which are essential to sustaining all
of the organisms living in the planet.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
There are many properties of a mineral which can be useful in distinguishing them
 Color – minerals absorbs light differently
 Streak – color of the mineral in powder form
 Hardness – withstand scratching
 Cleavage and Fracture – how minerals break into pieces
 Crystalline Structure – pattern or arrangement of minerals
 Transparency/Diaphaneity – extent of light that can pass through the mineral
 Magnetism – to attract and repel other minerals
 Tenacity – level of resistance to stress
 Luster – reaction to light
 Odor – smell that was formed from a chemical reaction
 Specific Gravity – mineral’s density

CHEMICAL PROPERTIES
James Dana was the first person to use the method of classifying minerals according to their
chemical composition which he divided into eight basic classes:
 Silicate Class – largest and most abundant group of minerals
 Carbonate Class – most found deposited in marine environments
 Sulphate Class – form in areas with high evaporation rates where salt water slowly
evaporate
 Halide Class – form from halogen elements which are very soft and easily dissolved in
water
 Oxide Class – combination of a metal with oxygen
 Sulphide Class – found in electrical wires, industrial materials
 Phosphate Class – contains phosphorus
 Native Elements – contain metals and intermetallic elements (metallic alloy)
THE USE OF MINERALS IN VARIOUS INDUSTRIES
 Aluminum – most abundant used in automobiles, packaging and construction
 Copper – used in building construction, electric products, roofing, machineries
 Gold – used in jewelry, arts, medicine, and making medallions or coins
 Halite (Salt) – used in food seasoning and for food preservation
 Iron Ore – used in metallurgy, magnets, and auto parts
 Lead – used in x-ray and gamma radiation shielding, tanks, and solders

Energy Resources
Energy resources are essentially obtained in order to sustain our daily living. They are used to
provide heat, light, and power – things which are necessary for the development of humankind

CLASSIFICATION OF ENERGY SOURCES

 1. Non-renewable – energy sources which cannot be replenished in our lifetime and are
likely to run out.
 Fossil Fzuel – took millions of years to form, despite this the world uses up fossil
fuels more than any other energy source in the world where carbon is the main
element in fossil fuels.
o Carboniferous Period – fossil fuels formed even before the dinosaurs
came into existence
- Plants, algae and plankton grew that absorbs sunlight and create
energy by means of photosynthesis, where they died and drifted
into the bottom of the sea where there was energy stored in these
dead organisms even when they died
- Years passed by these dead plants would be crushed under the
sea bed, as rocks and sediments will continuously pile on top of
them, the remains of plants and animals will eventually be turned
into fossil fuels
2. Renewable – comes from resources which are naturally replenished, the sun, the wind,
the water, the Earth’s heat, and plants are some of these sources that turn these fuels
into usable forms of energy which we utilize in our daily lives.
 Geothermal Energy – the heat flows out of the core, heating the surrounding area
which can form underground reservoirs of hot water and steam, we make use of
this renewable energy source to generate electricity or heat buildings
 Solar Energy – the sun can become an endless source of energy which are now
being used to genereate light, heat, and power
 Hydroelectric Power – comes from flowing water, the movement of water is used
to turn turbines and generators which produce energy, energy is neither created
nor destroyed-it only changes its form.
 Biomass Energy – energy formed from things such as wood wastes, agricultural
residues and other forms of garbage, when garbage decomposes, it releases
methane gas (natural gas) that used in power plants to generate electricity.

Water Resources
Water is among Earth’s materials which are essential to sustain all life on the planet. The ocean
hold about 96.5% of the planet’s water, and out of the 3.5% freshwater on Earth, human can
only make use of about 1% fresh water.

The Hydrologic Cycle

 It describes the storage and movement of water between the biosphere, atmosphere,
lithosphere, and the hydrosphere. Water on earth can be stored in any one of the
following reservoirs; atmosphere, oceans, lakes, rivers, soils, glaciers, snowfields, and
groundwater.
o Evaporation – evaporating of water from the surface of the ocean
o Condensation – water vapor in the air changed into liquid water (formation of
clouds)
o Precipitation – water is released from the clouds, either in the form of rain, freezing
rain, sleet, snow, or hail
 o Sublimation – process of snow and ice changing into water vapor air without first
melting into water
o Deposition – where water vapor changes directly into ice
o Infiltration – where rain water penetrates into the ground through the soil
o Runoff – movement of landwater to the oceans
o Transpiration – essentially the evaporation of water from plant leaves.
WATER SOURCES ON EARTH
1. Glaciers and Icecaps – cover about 10% of the world’s landmass, they make up 70% of
the world’s freshwater
2. Groundwater – the most abundant and readily available freshwater source today, it
represents over 90% of the world’s usable water
3. Freshwater lakes – located at high altitudes
4. Reservoirs – artificial lakes made out of physical barriers constructed across flowing
rivers, allowing the water to pool and used for various purposes
5. Wetlands – includes swamps, bogs, mashes, mires, lagoons, and floodplains.

Soil Resources
Soil is the combination of minerals, organic matter, gases, liquids, and countless organisms that
work together to support life on Earth
Important Functions:
1. It is a mean of water storage, supply, and purification
2. It modifies the Earth’s atmosphere
3. It serves as a habitat for organisms
4. All of the processes above modify the soil in turn
SOIL HORIZONS
 O Horizon – organic or litter layer
 A Horizon – topsoil; mostly inorganic minerals
 E Horizon – eluviation; loss of minerals by leaching (solid materials are dissolved and
transported away)
 B Horizon – subsoil; zone of accumulation or deposition of leached minerals
 C Horizon – slighty altered parent material
 R Horizon – bedrock

CLASSIFICATION OF SOIL
 Alluvial Soil – rich in nutrients like potash, phosphoric acid and lime
 Black Soil – develops deep cracks during summer which helps in aeration of soil
became sticky
 Laterite Soil – very useful for coffee and tea plantation
 Arid Soil – lacks in humus and moisture due to dry climatic conditions
 Forest Soil – used for cultivating spices, tea and coffee