Ores & Minerals

Ores

are naturally-occurring materials that can be profitably mined. It can be mineral or rock or metallic or nonmetallic.

deposit

considered a potential ore body if its localized abundance is greater than its average abundance or distribution on the Earth's crust

Hydrothermal fluid circulation

most common type of ore mineral deposition process. Hydrothermal fluids form when groundwater or seawater is heated by magma or when hot, aqueous solutions are expelled from a cooling plutonic body.

Metamorphic processes

lead to the alteration and recrystallization of minerals and aids the formation and localization of economically-important materials like graphite, marble, and asbestos.

Magmatic processes

create ore minerals which are concentrated due to their premature recrystallization and separation from magma.

kimberlite magma

originates deep within the mantle and is the source of diamonds, which only crystallize at depths greater than 150 km

Chemical sedimentary processes

form evaporate deposits from the precipitation of saltwater minerals (halite, gypsum, limestone) and the evaporation of lake water (anhydrite).

action of currents

If the wave action and strength is constant, it causes a selective sifting effect that removes sediments and leaves behind those that are heavier in what are called placer deposits

chemical weathering

chemical changes in their mineral components that result in their alteration into other minerals and into the formation of residual ore deposits

Mining

refers to a set of processes in which useful resources are withdrawn from a stock of any nonrenewable resource.

Prospecting or exploration

Looking for the ore body-a deposit that can yield a large amount of the required ore mineral

Drilling

Extracting a part of the ore to determine the resulting ore, its quality, and the amount

of ore minerals

Modeling

Determining the ore's size, shape, and grade distribution throughout the deposit to apply appropriate mining methods, blast and dig pattern designs, safety precautions, and efficiency and processing methods