Mineral exploration introduction, scope and history

Mineral

1. INTRODUCTION If DNA is the building block of life, then industrial minerals and rocks are literally the building blocks of our way of life. Industrial minerals and rocks are an exceptionally diverse and vital group of raw materials that underpin almost all aspects of human activity, infrastructure, and standard of living. More than 60 commodities are commonly considered industrial minerals and rocks, and they provide myriad products used by every conceivable industry. Although industrial minerals permeate every aspect of daily life, their presence and their role are often invisible. In certain respects, the production of industrial minerals and rocks constitutes one of the most intimate and familiar of industries because few domestic or industrial products do not contain industrial minerals and rocks or require them at some point in their manufacture.

2. DEFINITION The precise definition of industrial minerals and rocks is far from straightforward. However, a widely used definition is “any rock, mineral, or other naturally occurring substance of economic value, exclusive of metal ores, mineral fuels, and gemstones: one of the non- metallics ” (Bates 1975, p. 3). This definition includes the hugely important construction materials sector as well as specialized industrial minerals, but complex interactions between consuming industries produce a number of apparent anomalies (and, as such, would not be regarded as falling under this definition). Bauxite, for example, is the main ore of aluminum, but it is also used to manufacture alumina and other aluminum compounds that have applications in the refractories, abrasives, and fillers markets.

3. HISTORY The history of industrial minerals and rocks can quite literally be traced back to the Stone Age; indeed, it defines the development of humankind through time ( Kuzvart 1984). Perhaps the scale of use was preindustrial, but the materials and technical requirements at that time were not dissimilar to some present-day natural stone and abrasives industries. The total amount and diversity of industrial minerals and construction materials used by a society are always closely linked to, and a measure of, its overall economic strength ( Noetstaller 1988). Some minerals are used more as an industrial society develops, whereas others are more characteristic of postindustrial, service-dominated economies.

4. SCOPE The industrial minerals and rocks sector operates worldwide, and no nation on earth does not in some way use the natural raw materials at its disposal. The motivation for and magnitude of this resource utilization, however, varies widely from local subsistence activity to global-scale trade. Unlike other types of manufacturing, minerals can be worked only where they are found. Mineral resources are also a “wasting asset,” so eventually an individual deposit becomes depleted and new ones must be found or the business will close. Mines and quarries will therefore always open and close, and new deposits will constantly be sought.