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Unit 3:
Rocks and Minerals
Aim: How do we use rocks and
minerals in everyday life?
The physical and chemical properties of
rocks and minerals make them extremely
useful to us.
 Whether you realize it or not, you make use
of mineral and rock resources dozens of
times a day.
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How many of you brushed your
teeth today?
Toothpaste contains at least four different
minerals:
 Those pretty sparkles are actually mica –

How many of you brushed your
teeth today?
 It
also contains:
 Fluorspar (fluoride) – to
strengthen teeth
Sand – to thicken the paste
Titanium – to help whiten the teeth
How many of the following items
did you use yesterday?
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Antacid (Tums)
Baby Powder
Anything that runs on
batteries
A beverage can
A drinking glass
Coins
Cosmetics
A Dishwasher
Electricity
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Any electronic device
Faucet
Fluorescent lighting
Aluminum foil
Silverware
Matches
A mirror
A razor
The road
Television
Salt
Other Uses

Jewelry: some mineral
crystals, like diamonds,
are rare and valuable.
Almost all gems are
minerals.

Writing and Drawing: the
soft mineral graphite
produces a black streak
that makes it ideal for
use in pencil “lead”
All of those items are composed
of minerals.
Rocks are also an important
resource.
Construction: a cheap building material,
rocks are strong and relatively
easy to quarry out of the
ground. (granite and
sandstone)
 Fuel: Coal releases a lot of energy when
burned so it is used to heat houses and
fuel power stations.
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So we’ll always have a vast
supply of minerals to get us
through the day….
…right?
When they’re gone, they’re gone.
Mineral resources are non-renewable – we
are using rocks and minerals faster than the
Earth can make them.
 Eventually we will run out of resources such
as coal (fuel) and hematite (iron ore)
 How many Earth’s would we need?

Land Use
How we use the land around us is
determined the geology of the area:
 Mines and quarries
 Farming ( areas with high limestone content
make better growing soil)
 Houses and office buildings can only be built
on ground which is the most stable.
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Three important things to
remember
1)
2)
3)
The properties of rocks and minerals affect
how we use them.
Mineral resources are non-renewable.
Land use is affected by rocks.