Lithosphere

All Minerals that exist in the lithosphere

All the material theoretically exploitable

Proportion of minerals that can be exploited now

The amount of Ore you find in 1m3 of rock

Use electricity to locate deposits on the basis that water conducts electricity

Use IR waves to locate deposits using knowledge of mineral characteristics - will they absorb/deflect

Using magnetic pull to locate deposits - used for nickel, cobalt and iron

Measures the density of rock and can then be used to identify deposit - igneous are dense

Using sound to locate deposits by assessing reflection

Processes by which rocks and minerals are created by the cooling and hardening of magma or molten lava.

Processes that cause minerals to settle and build up to produce layers of deposited sediment

The alteration of exisiting rocks with high temperatures and pressures without melting them - often caused by igneous processes or tectonic movement

• Tin • Copper • Lead • Silver • Gold • Arsenic

These include iron ore deposits such as haematite and magnetite. They were formed when dissolved iron compounds became oxidised by the oxygen released by photosynthesis, producing insoluble iron ore deposits.

2.5 to 1.8 billion years ago

Formed by materials being carried and seperated by flowing water in order of density

Crystallised minerals, such as halite, leftover from evaporation

When economically important metals can form minerals that are soluble or insoluble depending upon the conditions, especially oxygen availability. They may be transported in solution, by moving water, and then deposited as their oxidation state changes

Those where living organisms form mineral deposits

The presence of the mineral can be predicted from knowledge of the geological structures present but not enough is known to estimate the amount that can be economically extracted

Sufficient information is known, so the amount of the mineral that can be economically extracted can be estimated with suffient accuracy that further exploration is justified

Sufficient exploration has been carried out, including trial drilling, to accurately estimate the amount of the mineral that can be economically extracted

• More rock will have to be mined • More waste materials will be produced • More energy will be needed for mining and processing • More pollution will be generated

It controls the ease of chemical extraction of the metal. For example, aluminium can be extracted from bauxite but not from clay which is more abundant