Raw Materials from the Third World

Imported Minerals

The increasing dependency on ores from foreign countries, many of which are essential for the advanced technologies common in the developed countries, strongly influences policy toward the developing world, where many of the minerals are found. At present around ¹/₃ of the raw minerals used in the rich countries come from the Third World.

Table 2: US figures for imported minerals as a % of consumption

Imported mineral	% of Consumption	Imported mineral	% of Consumption
Arsenic	100	Tin	73
Columbium	100	Potash	72
Manganese	100	Zinc	69
Mica	100	Cadmium	66
Strontium	100	Barite	63
Graphite	100	Silver	57
Gem Stones	99	Asbestos	51
Bauxite	97	Gypsum	37
Tantalum	92	Silicon	33
Diamond	89	Iron Ore	28
Fluorspar	88	Lead	15
Platinum Group	88	Salt	12
Cobalt	86	Beryllium	11
Tungsten	80	Titanium	8
Chromium	75	Nitrogen	7
Nickel	74	Sulphur	6

Task 1

To gain insight into minerals and their components pick up a mineral book at the local library and answer the following;

Be₃Al₂(Si₂O₆) is the chemical formula for which precious stone ?
Turqoise is sometimes known as the "ancient jade" what is the difference between their chemical formulae ?
What two metals can be extracted from Calaverite ?
What common metals are extracted from; Magnetite Chalcopyrite Galena Sphaelerite
Thorianite may not be something you'd like to find in your back garden why ?
Marcasite is very popular in jewellery particularly broaches from the 1920's era. What can it also be used for ?
What does the mineral Apatite have to do with Sunday lunch?
What rare earth elements are contained in Bastnaesite ?
Why might you find (Mg₃(Si₄O₁₀)OH₂) in the bathroom ?