Organic and mineral formations of the earth's crust are minerals. In most cases, the chemical composition, as well as physical properties, allow them to be used in production. It is worth noting that the accumulation of minerals can have a different look: vein, runoff, layer, etc.
A significant concentration of materials in one place is called a deposit (pool). Let's take a closer look at what building minerals are, how they are mined and where, in fact, they are used.
General information and concepts
Building minerals (or non-metallic, non-metallic) are used in industry. It is interesting that they can be used both in its natural form and as a raw material. These are minerals and rocks, which we will talk about a little later.
Groundwater, oil, gas, coal and other combustible materials should be excluded from the list of non-metallic minerals. At the same time, sand, gravel, gravel, etc. can be attributed to non-metallic. Statistics show that over the past 7-10 years, minerals used in construction have outstripped ore materials in terms of production.
The non-metallic group differs from the metallic one in that the composition of the product can vary greatly depending on the deposit and other parameters. Therefore, mining always requires an assessment of the possibilities of using this or that material in a particular field.
Rock
A substance of this origin may be in a solid, soft or loose state, depending on the material. In fact, rocks are loose or dense materials from which the earth's crust is formed . They can consist of homogeneous or several types of minerals, fragments of other rocks, etc. The composition of the fossil depends on the processes taking place in the earth's crust. If you give the most striking examples of rocks used in construction, it is sand, clay, granite, basalt, salt, coal and more. It is difficult to say which of the three rock groups is most often used in industry. If we consider sedimentary rocks, then this is sand and limestone. Metamorphic rocks are rich in slate and clay.
More about minerals
A mineral is a homogeneous body, usually solid. In fact, this component can be considered the main component of rocks. Of course, it is worth understanding that today there are a huge number of minerals. For example, a quartz group consists of many elements: amethyst, crystal, citrine, etc. It is noteworthy that water is not a mineral. This is due to the fact that it is classified as a liquid state of a mineral called ice.
We all know that building minerals must meet a number of requirements, the main ones are the following: hardness, ductility, fragility, etc. In most cases, they have optical properties. Gloss and color, for example, are neglected, but only if they do not significantly affect the crystal structure of the fossil. Now consider where the rocks are most often used.
Application
Non-metallic minerals can be used anywhere. If we talk about the economy, then they most often play the role of building materials. For this, granite, marble, and limestone are best suited. Various mineral fertilizers such as phosphorite, apatite and potassium salts are used as raw materials .
Non-metallic minerals are also of great importance for chemical production, since sulfur, apatite, etc. are used there. Rocks are also widely used in metallurgy. Limestones and quartzites are used as fluxes, and dolomite, magnesite, and also refractory clay can be used to create refractory structures. It is noteworthy that a variety of properties allows the use of the same component in various industries. For example, graphite has found its application in metallurgy, electrical engineering, nuclear energy and the chemical industry.
Methods of mining
For many hundreds of years, mankind has come up with ever new methods of mining. During this time, several ways have formed:
But only solid minerals can be mined in this way. According to statistics, approximately 90% of brown coal and 70% of ores are obtained in an open way. At the same time, liquid and gaseous minerals are extracted using a completely different method. For this, wells are drilled through which gas, oil, etc. are pumped into special storages.
The mining methods used in construction are limited to quarries. In fact, this is a fully mechanized work, which involves the use of bulldozers and other heavy equipment. In any case, before mining, the depth is first determined, as well as the conditions, and only then determined with the method. For example, it is not advisable to start production in some quarries only because transportation costs are too high.
Classification of non-metallic materials
The heterogeneity of non-metallic natural resources leads to the fact that they are extremely difficult to classify. As noted above, one component can be used anywhere. Nevertheless, the above fossils are divided into two main groups:
- by field of use: mining, chemical raw materials and mining and metallurgical raw materials, building materials, as well as crystals (technical);
- by geological origin: rocks (refer to the most common type of non-metallic minerals, have a relatively simple structure).
In addition, there are minerals - rarer minerals with small deposits. They have a high cost.
We will not list all the names of minerals. This is due to the fact that there are a huge number of them. Therefore, we divided the minerals used in construction and not only in scope and origin.
A few important points
We examined all existing mineral classes. As you can see, this is a very large group. It is worth paying attention to the fact that almost all over the globe there are minerals. Differences can only be in their composition, depth, and also in chemical properties. Minerals are constantly being developed in the world, new quarries are being opened, wells and mines are being built.
Conclusion
We got acquainted with what construction minerals are. Of course, they can hardly be called that way, because they find their application in other areas of industry. Nevertheless, one can hardly imagine modern construction without world mining of non-metallic minerals. Take at least such an astringent as sand. No house can be built without it. But it is worthwhile to understand that the minerals of the earth have been forming for quite some time under low and high temperatures, high and low pressure. For this simple reason, it makes sense to use natural resources more rationally.
Now you know the main names of minerals and their classification.