Mineral Resources and Mining
Metals and minerals come from ore deposits.
About this topic
Mineral resources include metals (iron, copper, aluminium, gold, lithium), industrial minerals (limestone, salt, sand) and fuels. An ore is rock containing enough metal to be extracted profitably. Mining methods: surface (open-pit, strip) and underground.
Impacts include habitat destruction, water pollution (acid mine drainage), waste and energy use, as well as social issues. Recycling metals saves energy and resources. Demand for lithium, cobalt and rare earths for batteries and electronics raises sustainability and ethical questions.
An ore example: copper ore often has only about 0.5 to 1 percent copper, so for each tonne of copper, mines move and process 100 tonnes or more of rock. Aluminium comes from bauxite, and recycling it uses about 5 percent of the energy needed to make new metal, which is why recycling cans is so effective. In open-pit mines, rock is blasted and hauled in giant trucks, whereas underground mining uses shafts and tunnels and is more dangerous and expensive. Extraction is followed by crushing, concentrating, smelting and refining.
Modern mines must plan for closure and land restoration, treat water and manage tailings dams, whose failures can be catastrophic, as at Brumadinho in Brazil in 2019. The shift to renewable energy and electric vehicles will need a lot more copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt and rare earths, so recycling, new battery chemistries and responsible sourcing matter. Mineral resources are finite on human timescales, so using them efficiently is crucial. A common misconception is that we are close to running out of metals; they are not scarce in the crust, but high-grade, cheap ore is. Another is that mining is only harmful; it provides materials for all technology and can be done more responsibly.
Key ideas
- Open-pit and underground mining
- Recycling reduces mining
- Rare earths in electronics
Quick check
Use cases: where Mineral Resources and Mining helps
- Homework: review the key idea behind Mineral Resources and Mining before you start a problem set.
- Exam revision: use the quick check to test whether you can recall Mineral Resources and Mining without notes.
- Visual learning: play with the interactive lab to see how Mineral Resources and Mining changes when you adjust its inputs.
- Teaching a friend: explain Mineral Resources and Mining in your own words, then compare your version with the key ideas.
Earth science helps with weather forecasts, natural hazards, energy and climate planning.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mineral Resources and Mining?
Metals and minerals come from ore deposits.
What will I learn in Mineral Resources and Mining?
Open-pit and underground mining. Recycling reduces mining. Rare earths in electronics.
Is Mineral Resources and Mining part of Earth & Space?
Yes. It is one of 60 Earth & Space topics on LearnViz HighSchoolEdu, with 3 key ideas, a live animation and a quick check.
Does the Mineral Resources and Mining lab work on a phone or tablet?
Yes. The animation resizes to fit your screen and supports touch, so you can drag, tap and slide with your finger.
How should I study Mineral Resources and Mining?
Read the summary and key ideas first, play with the interactive lab to see the idea in motion, then answer the quick check. If you get a question wrong, go back to the key idea it tests.
Do I need an account, and is my progress saved?
No account is needed. Marking a topic as learned is saved in your own browser, so it stays on that device and is not sent to a server.