1.1.1: Mineral Commodities
- Page ID
- 18272
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The table below, from the United States Geological Survey, lists some mineral commodities deemed essential for modern living, and the amounts that a typical person consumes in their lifetime. The list includes both metals derived from minerals (some minerals are listed in the right-hand column) and rock materials, such as stone or sand, that are made of minerals.
| metal | lifetime needs | primary ore mineral |
|---|---|---|
| aluminum (bauxite) | 5,677 pounds | bauxite |
| cement | 65,480 pounds | calcite in limestone or related rocks |
| clay minerals | 19,245 pounds | clays in sedimentary deposits |
| copper | 1,309 pounds | copper sulfide minerals |
| gold | 1,576 ounces | native gold in hard rock or sediments |
| iron | 29,608 pounds | magnetite and hematite |
| lead | 928 pounds | galena |
| phosphate rock | 19,815 pounds | apatite |
| stone, sand, and gravel | 1.61 million pounds | mineral mixtures in sedimentary deposits |
| zinc | 671 pounds | sphalerite |
Overall, modern society uses stone, sand, gravel and other construction materials more than other mineral commodities. Construction materials are generally mixtures of different minerals and are prized for their overall properties, not the properties of the individual mineral components. We also use large amounts of what are termed industrial minerals – resources valued for their mineralogical properties. Industrial minerals include limestone, clays, bentonite, silica, barite, gypsum, and talc.