Introduction - Metals and Society: An Introduction to Economic Geology - page 10

Table 1.2 (continued)
Type Useful substance Uses and properties
Platinum (Pt) Electronics (cell phones, computers ... ), catalysts, hydrogen
sensors, jewelry
Rhenium (Re) Alloys
Rhodium (Rh) Catalysts, X-ray tubes, mirrors, jewelry
Ruthenium (Ru) Alloys, hard drives, superconductors
Silver (Ag) Jewelry, silverware, photography a
Minerals Diamond Jewelry, abrasives (hardness, attractiveness)
Corundum Abrasives (hardness)
Talc Lubricant (softness)
Pumice Abrasives (hardness)
Asbestos Insulator (low thermal conductivity) a
Mica Insulator (low thermal conductivity) a
Diatomite Filters
Barite Drilling mud (high density)
Andalusite Ceramics (resistance to high temperature)
Kyanite Ceramics (resistance to high temperature)
Halite Food additive, de-icer (lowers freezing temperature of water)
Calcite Cement
a Use now restricted because of toxicity of substance or substitution
The uses of copper are well known. Without this metal (or other metals with
similar properties) there would be no television sets, power stations and airliners,
not to mention brass cooking pots and green-coloured domes on old cathedrals.
Other metals such as iron, manganese, titanium and gold find a multitude of
applications in the world in which we live. Some of these are listed in Table 1.2
and in an excellent web sites of the United States Geological Survey http://minerals.
usgs.gov/granted.html and the British Geological Survey 2010 ; http://www.bgs.ac.
uk/mineralsuk/statistics/worldStatistics.html . Ores also include energy sources,
specifically coal and uranium. Petroleum is normally excluded from the definition,
which is generally restricted to solids, but the bitumen recovered in deposits such as
the Athabasca tar sands might be considered an ore. Finally there is a range of
products, generally of low cost, that are also mined and also constitute ores:
included in this list are building materials such as limestone for cement, gravel
for road construction and the building industry, ornamental stones and gems,
fertilisers, abrasives, even common salt.
Box 1.3 The Criticality Index of the United States Geological Survey
A committee of geologists and economists from various governmental
agencies and universities in the USA published a report evaluating the supply
situation of a wide range of metals and mineral products (National Research
Council 2008 ; http://dels.nas.edu/dels/rpt_briefs/critical_minerals_final.
pdf .). Although the report focussed specifically on the US situation, the
broad conclusions apply also to European countries. The committee defined
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