Hey guys, feels good to be writing again, I decided to quit writing for sometime and focus on my exams, thank God I'm almost done, the Easter break has given me time to write again. My last post was about minerals (mineral formations and structure) and today I will be writing about what minerals are used for. Hope you learn something.
Did you know that every time you drink from a glass or bottle, you are using a product made from sand? Sand is a very plentiful material. Sand is mostly made of the mineral Quartz. Sand is melted down and molded or blown to make glass. The quartz in sand is just one of the minerals of the Earth that people use. We can't live our life without minerals because substances an products we use in our daily lives all come from minerals.
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Metals from Minerals
People use minerals as a source of metal. Only a few minerals like gold, silver and copper exist as pure metals in the earth's crust, and even these minerals are rare. Most metals people use come from minerals or rocks that have metal elements. A mineral or rock that contains a reasonable amount of earth material is known as Ore. Bauxite, for example, is an Ore of aluminum. Feldspar also contains aluminum. But feldspar is not an ore because it contains too little aluminum for extraction. metals are removed from its Ore by a process called smelting. The Ore is broken down into smaller particles and the heated to a high temperature. The atoms of metal separate from the rest of the mineral or rock and join in a molten mass. Iron is produced by smelting the mineral hematite and other iron-containing minerals. Once extracted from its ores, iron can be processed to make steel. Many different industries use steel. For example, steel is used to build bridges, machine parts, and the frames of large buildings.
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Steel is used in making bridges
Useful Minerals
Borax :Soaps, cleansers, porcelain, dyes, inks
Calcite : Medicines, toothpaste
Feldspar : pottery, glass, scouring powder, porcelain.
Graphite : Pencils, dry lubricant, battery electrodes
Gypsum : wallboard, plaster of Paris, fertilizer
Halite : Table salt, food preservatives, glass, paper
Mica : Glossy makeup, electronic parts, insulation
Quartz : Glass, watches, radios, televisions
Sulfur : Matches, medicines, rubber, gunpowder
Talc : Talcum powder, crayons, paints, soap
Quartz Vibrations
Quartz has many useful properties. It is very common, relatively hard, and can be melted to make glass. Quartz also has an unusual property that has many important uses. Pressure produces electric charges across quartz crystal. Because of this properties quartz is used as a transducer. A transducer is a device that changes one form of energy to another. Scientists found that this special property of quartz also works in reverse. When an electric charge is placed across a quartz crystal, the crystal changes shape slightly in one direction. If the electric field is reverse, the crystal changes shape in the opposite direction. Therefore, if the electric field alternate the crystal will vibrate. The number of vibrations per second stays constant if the frequency of the electrical current stays constant. This property is used to control the frequency of radio and television waves. It also makes a good timekeeper.
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There is a quartz crystal inside the gas igniter. When the button is pushed, the crystal is squeezed, producing an electric charge. This charge causes a small spark. The spark lights the gas from the burner quickly and safely.
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Have you ever seen a wristwatch with quartz written on it? A thin slice of quartz in these watches helps keep accurate time. Electrical current from the watch battery makes the crystal vibrate at a constant frequency of over 30,000 times a second.
Gem
Rare and beautiful minerals that are cut and polished for use as ornaments are called gems. Gems are divided into two groups: precious and semi precious. Precious gems are rare and valuable. Examples are Diamond, rubies, sapphires and Emeralds. Semiprecious gems include garnet, jade, opal, topaz and certain kinds of quartz and they are not as rare as precious gems, so they are not so valuable. Gems are valued for their color, luster, and hardness. In jewelry, diamonds are treasured for their ability to break up light into dazzling colors. They are also used in drills and abrasives because of their hardness. Jade's silky luster makes it a valued mineral for ornaments, such as vases and sculptures. For centuries, gems have adorned many temples, home, and people.
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Gems decorate fine jewelry
Conclusions
Minerals have aided human beings in many ways, most products we use in our daily lives have mineral elements in them. Minerals makes living worthwhile, without minerals home appliances like stoves, gas cookers etc won't be. Wristwatches won't exist without minerals and so on and so forth. Thanks for reading!