Mineral Resources: Types, Extraction, and Global Impact
Mineral Resources
Mineral resources are raw materials that have a mineral origin, although they can also be of vegetable origin. They belong to the primary sector. Mineral resources can be classified as:
- Industrial rocks: They are made up of three large groups:
- Energy rocks (coal, oil…) used to produce energy.
- Useful rocks (limestone, marble…) used mainly in construction.
- Precious stones (diamond, emerald…) used in jewelry.
- Minerals: They are classified as:
- Useful minerals (iron, copper…).
- Precious metals (gold, silver…).
- Strategic minerals (uranium, coltan…).
Coal is found in the basins next to the mountain ranges that were formed some 300 million years ago, such as the Appalachians. Oil is found mainly in the countries near the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Mexico, and it is often found in close proximity to natural gas. Spain has historically been a country with one of the richest traditions of mining (gold, silver, uranium, mercury…), but today the mining industry has almost completely disappeared. The country with the most mineral resources is China, next is the United States, and then Australia.
Producing and Consuming Countries
Currently, every country is trying to use its own energy sources in order not to depend on other countries. However, there is still great global dependency on the producing countries of oil and natural gas. In order to control production and prices, the main oil producers are grouped together in OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries).
Industry and Construction
Industry and construction belong to the secondary sector. Industry transforms raw materials into manufactured products. Industry has evolved quickly, this has involved three main stages:
First Industrial Revolution
This emerged at the end of the 18th century and was based on energy derived from coal. The metal and textile industries were the most important industries at the time.
Second Industrial Revolution
This was based on energy derived from oil and electricity. It occurred between 1870 and 1970 and was marked by the invention of the combustion engine and assembly line production. The industries most affected were the automobile, chemicals, iron and steel, and household appliance industries.
Information and Automation Revolution
In addition to oil, nuclear energy and new renewable energy were used. Electronics, information technology, and biotechnology were used.
Construction
Construction provides housing, transport links, and other essential construction services for a country’s inhabitants. It is an important economic engine. Characteristics:
- Smaller construction companies provide essential services on a lesser scale, building individual houses.
- Larger companies build housing estates, office buildings, and service buildings.
Currently, construction has grown beyond the needs of the population. This was called a ‘real estate bubble,’ meaning the existence of a large number of houses at inflated prices that cannot be sold.
Construction and the Landscape
Construction is becoming more innovative and using materials like glass, but particularly innovative is the substantial urban development, which consists of two building models: skyscrapers and individual family houses.