GEOL 106 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Phosphate Minerals, Crushed Stone, Volcanic Ash
Document Summary
Mineral resource: a concentration of a naturally occurring material in or on the crust of the earth in a form that can now be or potentially be extracted at a profit. Mineral reserve: is the portion of a resource that is identified and is currently available to be legally extracted at a profit. Geology of mineral resources: variety of geologic processes concentrate elements of interest, mineral deposits formed by processes discussed in lec 2 (rock cycle) Mineral resource formation: mineral resources can be classified based on processes of formation, 1)igneous processes, 2)metamorphic processes, 3)sedimentary processes, 4)biological processes, 5)weathering processes, igneous processes, enrichment of ore metal (ex. Copper, nickel, gold by igneous processes: recall: igneous rick is crystallized/solidified from magma, sourced, entire igneous rock mass contains large crystals that can be ore. for ex. Diamonds: diamonds are found in an igneous rock type called kimberlite. Kimberlite occurs as a pipe-shaped (or funnel-shaped) body of rock that decrease in diameter with depth.