MINERALS IMPORTANT TO

SOCIETY
CAN YOU SPOT TEN MINERALS FOUND IN THIS KITCHEN?
 LEARN ABOUT IT!
• What did you have for breakfast this morning?
Chances are, you have already encountered a mineral
and even ingested it without even noticing. Can you
guess what mineral that is?
• Salt, a mineral from halite, is one of the essential minerals
that we always use at home. It makes food tastier and brings
out the flavor of what you are eating. Can you imagine life
without salt? Picture this. You are like watching television in
black and white. It shows you different landscapes, sceneries,
and objects but the colors are the same -- black and white.
Dull isn't it? Just like in food, if there is no salt added, even if
the presentation is beautiful, the food will still taste bland.
That is how important salt is.
• One may not realize it, but minerals are important in
our lives. From morning until one sleeps, people
interact with minerals. Minerals are components of
materials we use, buildings we build, and assets we
keep. That is how important minerals are in our
everyday life.
• One may not realize it, but minerals are important in our
lives. From morning until one sleeps, people interact with
minerals. Minerals are components of materials we use,
buildings we build, and assets we keep. That is how important
minerals are in our everyday life.
 HOME AND PERSONAL USE
• Aside from salt, other minerals compose some of the items and
equipment found in our houses. Feldspar is a component for ceramics,
glassware, and pottery. It is also an ingredient in making soaps.
Fluorite is also used in ceramics and pottery. It is commonly known as
a component of toothpaste in the form of fluoride. Gold, silver, and
platinum are made into pieces of jewelry and other important
articles at home. Quartz is used for the production of glass and
fiberglass usually used at home.
 ELECTRONICS, INFRASTRUCTURE, AND MANUFACTURING
• Numerous minerals are important to infrastructure and manufacturing.
A very good example of this is copper. Copper serves as an
important material in electronics and wiring because of its conductive
properties. Silver is utilized in electronics for the same reason. Silica is
a mineral that contains silicon, a metalloid that has some properties
of metals such as the ability to conduct electricity. Tungsten and
molybdenum are used widely for the filament in incandescent bulbs
because of their high melting points. Iron ores are used for stainless
steel production.
• Barium, chromite, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, and nickel
serve as alloys in the production of other metals. Bauxite is
an ore where aluminum is derived. It is important for the
production of cement for construction. Copper and lead are
also utilized widely in the construction field. Quartz, in the
form of sand, is also valuable in construction and
manufacturing. Graphite, known in your pencil "lead”, can
also be used in manufacturing.
 ECONOMICS
• Mining of minerals contribute to the gross domestic product
(GDP) of a country. Gold is used as a reserve and serves as
a backup for currencies. The amount of reserves of gold
correlates to inflation. If the central bank of a country buys
gold, the country’s currency is affected because of the
fluctuations in the supply and demand of the currency.
 PRECIOUS MINERALS AND OTHER USES
• Some minerals are used as gemstones. Rubies and sapphires contain
aluminum oxide. Emeralds are from the mineral beryl. Quartz is also
considered as a semi-precious mineral. Diamond, a form of carbon,
is considered as the most precious mineral. It is also the hardest
mineral (10 on the mohs scale). Though commonly used for jewelry,
some uncut diamonds are placed as additive for metal cutters
because of its hardness.
• In some cases, minerals are used in the medical field. Examples of
these minerals are barium that is a helpful additive to medicine in x-
rays of the digestive system, and iron which is used to treat anemia.
The illustration below gives you an idea on how some minerals and ores used in
industries look like.