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Metals and Minerals
Welcome to the Metals and Minerals Knowledge Series.
The building blocks of the earth are called elements, which are substances that cannot be broken down by chemical or physical action into simpler entities. Elements that are 'workable' (eg malleable) are termed metals (they are also usually good conductors of heat and electricity).
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Of the 92 elements, eight account for 98% of the composition of the crust (the earth's outer layer; see later): oxygen (46.5%), silica (27.5%), aluminium (8%), iron (5%), calcium (3.5%), sodium (3%), potassium (2.5%) and magnesium (2%). By contrast, gold constitutes less than 0.0000004% of the earth's crust.
Elements bond together in chemical compounds of definite ratios to form solid crystalline substances known as minerals, of which there are many thousand different types. (Coal is a mineral, mainly comprising the carbon element.)
Continue with Mining 101 categories by clicking the links below:
| Metals and Minerals | Geology |
| Exploration | Mining |
| Processing | Marketplace |
Alternatively, read more information in the Metals and Minerals Knowledge Series by clicking links below:
• Rock
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