Minerals Are the Foundation of Societies

Nearly every man-made thing around you is made from minerals. Can you name something man-made that does not contain minerals? Roads, buildings, and computers—even food—contain minerals. There are minererals in the display you're viewing!

The majority of the raw material used in building your home was furnished by the mining industry.

1. If the roof is covered with asphalt shingles, the filler in the shingles is made from a variety of colored silicate minerals.
2. Gutters are galvanized steel (iron ore and zinc) or aluminum (bauxite).
3. Exterior walls may be made of brick (clay) or stone (dimension stone).
4.  Windows are made of glass (trona, silica, sand, and feldspar).
5. Lumber in the structure will be fastened with nails and screws (iron ore and zinc).
6. The fireplace is probably made of brick or stone, lined with a steel box (iron ore).
7. The insulation in the walls may be glass wool (silica, feldspar, and trona) or expanded vermiculite.
8. Interior walls are usually wall board (bypsum), commonly called sheet rock.
9. Electrical wiring is made of copper or aluminum (bauxite).
10. Paint is manufactured with mineral fillers and pigments.
11. Door knobs, locks, and hinges are made of brass or steel (copper, zinc, and iron ore).
12. Plumbing fixtures are made of brass (copper and zinc), or stainless steel (nickle, chrome, and iron).
13. Sanitary facilities are made of porcelian (clay).
14. The foundation is probably concrete (limestone, clay, shale, bypsum, and aggregate).
15. The sewer pipe is made of clay or iron.
16. Many of the materials used in your home may be plastic (petroleum by-products).
17. And finally, your mortgage is written on paper made from wood or cloth fibers but filled with clay.