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Mineral ID Lab Page 26Mining Page 27

Mining Pg. 27

Mining is the process of extracting valuable material from the Earth.

Lone Mountain Gravel Pit

4 Steps of the Mining Process 1. Find the minerals.

2. Mine minerals from the earth.

3. Refine the minerals.

4. Transport minerals to market to be used in products.

Ores - mineral deposits in the earth’s crust that contain a desired material. 1. Metals or nonmetals. 2. Must be present in high enough quantities to make its removal profitable. 3. Ore refining= removing these wanted products from the ore.

Most Common Copper Ores

• Chalcocite

Chalcocite

Chalcopyrite

Malachite

Copper ore mining

Mining began in Nevada on the heels of the California gold rush in 1849 before Nevada was even a state. The major discovery of silver, known as the Comstock Lode, happened a decade later in 1859 and brought great changes to the area as miners rushed into the region and boom towns including Virginia City, Aurora, Unionville and Austin were born. Over the next 20 years, almost $1 billion of gold and silver were produced by Nevada mines. The wealth of Nevada mines, the population surge they created and the ongoing American Civil War prompted Abraham Lincoln to declare Nevada the 36th state in the Union on Oct. 31, 1864.

Men in a silver mine

Tonopah-gold discover in 1900

Goldbar Mine in Goldfield, NV

World’s Gold Production

• USA is the #2 goldProducer in the world

• Nevada produces85% of the gold fromNorth America.

But, the most common mining product in the USA is gravel.

• Barite-paints,• plastic• Silica- sand, glass• Limestone-Cement• Diatomite- insect• killer• Mercury-makes

Thimerosal in

tattoo ink and mascara

Gypsum1. Blue Diamond Mine-> 2. Dig it out of the ground-> 3. Taken to building to be powdered(refined)-> 4. truck to Pabco plant at Lake Mead to be made into drywall and stucco.

Out

Why is Nevada called the “Silver State”?

Mining is the process ofa. exploration and discovery.b. removing unwanted material from mountains.c. extracting valuable material from the Earth.d. using chemicals to dissolve metals.