How ore minerals are found and mined?

When miners find rock containing mineral ore, they first extract the rock from the earth. The rock is then crushed by powerful machinery. Metal is extracted from the crushed ore by one of two major methods: smelting or electrolysis. Smelting uses heat to separate the valuable metal from the rest of the ore.

How do Geologists find minerals?

Even geologists can have a difficult time identifying minerals. To help with identification, geologists must look closely at the physical properties of a mineral. These properties can include: color, streak, hardness, cleavage, specific gravity, crystal form, and others.

How are metallic ore deposits formed?

Most metallic ore deposits are a result of plate tectonic activity. High heat flows and convection currents at divergent plate boundaries, such as midoceanic ridges, create submarine hot springs called black smokers that deposit solid masses of metallic minerals.

Where do you find ore in bedrock?

Where you’ll find ore. Bedrock can be found in the bottom four layers (four blocks) of the Overworld. Sea level in the Overworld is found, at its highest, at 62 blocks above bedrock. Keep this in mind when calculating where you’ll place your mines.

What makes an ore deposit different from a mineral deposit?

A mineral deposit is a place in Earth’s crust where geologic processes have concentrated one or more minerals at greater abundance than in the average crust. An ore deposit is a mineral deposit that can be produced to make a profit. Thus, all ore deposits are mineral deposits, but the reverse is not true.

What are mineral deposits?

Mineral deposits are naturally occurring accumulations or concentrations of metals or minerals of sufficient size and concentration that might, under favourable circumstances, have economic value. Economic concentrations of metals or other mineral commodities are known as ore.

How do geologists find mineral deposits and determine their size?

Finding and Mining Minerals Geologic processes create and concentrate minerals that are valuable natural resources. Geologists study geological formations and then test the physical and chemical properties of soil and rocks to locate possible ores and determine their size and concentration.

How do geologists know where to mine for precious minerals?

To find a mineral deposit, geologists study the geology of a lot of places. They then go to a spot where that type of mineral deposit could be found. They test the properties of the soil and rocks. They look at the chemistry and the physical properties.