Final Project Outline

Tyler Baity UCO 1200 12/9/09

Final Paper Outline (First Submission) I.

Introduction A. Minerals might be one of the broadest scientific terms but they play one

of the biggest impacts on our daily lives. (Thesis) B. They helped create our world and fuel our world today (Paragraph One) C. Businesses and Schools are beginning to realize the importance of

minerals and the impact it has in our world. It is important that grade school students know what these fine materials are so they are aware of them in the workplace (Paragraph Two) D. The USA needs to do a better job of logging our minerals and realizing the

importance of them. (Paragraph Three) E. When everyone realizes the importance minerals play in our daily lives, it

will help to propel us to have a better future. (Conclusion)

I.

Body Paragraph One (What are Minerals and what role do they play in the world) A. A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through geological

processes that has a characteristic chemical composition and specific physical properties. It can only be a mineral if it is a solid and has a true crystalline structure. ("Mineral -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. .) (Cotterill, R. M. J. "From Mine, Quarry, and well: Minerals." The Material World. New York: Cambridge UP, 2007. 154-81. Print.)

B. It is helpful to be able to identify a mineral. The most important physical

properties are its crystal form, cleavage, hardness, specific gravity, streak, and luster. These physical properties will help determine the type of the mineral. (Mohs, Frederich. "MINERALS." The Advertiser [Lafayette] 25 Sept. 2003: 2b-2b. Print) C. Minerals can also be included into certain chemical properties. Most

minerals will fit into one of these classes; Silicate Class, Carbonate Class, Sulfate Class, Halide Class, Oxide Class, Sulfide Class, Phosphate Class, Element Class, or Organic Class. ("Mineral -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. .) D. Once you are able to classify a mineral and have a basic understanding of their properties, it will be easier to see where minerals impact our lives!

I.

Body Paragraph Two (The importance of Children as well as workers understanding the impact of minerals) A. More Programs are being started and money is being funded so student

can have more of knowledge about minerals at a younger age. Programs like PAN (Planning Aid North) and MUYF (Minerals Under Your Feet) are beginning to open up the eyes of communities around them about the general lack of knowledge about minerals. Students are getting to go on field trips and have more hands on experience with these crystals! (Lillie, Kevin. "School program uncovers minerals issues."Planning” April & May 2009: 23-23. Print.) B. Due to the lack of knowledge of minerals, tons of companies are going

bankrupt due to the Asbestos epidemic. Asbestos consists of tiny silicate mineral fibers that can cause a variety of ailments if inhaled. Over 70

companies that produced Asbestos are bankrupt and the claims are rising. All the money in the world can’t tack on more days to people’s lives though. The companies are being scrutinized for keeping the mineral’s danger concealed but there was still a lack of knowledge among the general public. (Crenshaw, Arthur B. "Proposed Asbestos Fund Divides Victims;." Lexis Nexis. The Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2004. Web. 9 Dec. 2009.) C. Uneducated Farmers are also taking a hit with their lack of knowledge of

minerals. The lack of minerals in the soil can cause TB in cattle to rise which eventually kills off their heard. With fewer minerals in the soil, Cattle is not getting the correct diet and becomes more susceptible to disease. Researchers have found that the more minerals in the cattle’s diet, the more they appeared to be less susceptible to TB. What this falls back on is the way the farmer farms his land. Non-Organic farmers who rely on concentrated mineral fertilizers are not fulfilling the minerals its needs for their crops and stock. Organic farmers with closed herds have greatly reduced the chances of cattle TB. (Pattison, Stuart, and Devon Okehampton. "Mineral lack cuts TB resistance." Farmers Weekly 16 May 2008: 12-14. Print.) D. It is good to see that more and more people are realizing that there should be a greater

concern of minerals today. Some future transgressions can be nullified if the education and knowledge is out there. It is sad to see so many people suffering from trials like asbestos but as we gain more knowledge, minerals can advance our lives tremendously.

I.

Body Paragraph III (The USA’s Lack of knowledge of our own mineral Content)

A. Other countries are doing a fine job locating and using their minerals. The

African Minerals Corp. just raised 105 million dollars to fund its Tonkolili iron ore project. The funny thing is, it’s funded mostly by institutional investors from North American and the United Kingdom. It is allowing Africa to see substantial profits once it has mined the 10 billion tons of magnetite iron ore resource. Tonkolili is one of many world class iron ore deposits. (Metal Bulletin Daily Alerts. Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, 2 July 2009. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. .) B. The United States probably depends just as much on non-fuel minerals as

anyone else in the world. You will find these minerals in items such as LCD TVs, catalytic converters, and even pacemakers. The problem is that the United States lacks the information of knowing how many critical minerals are close to being gone and how much the United States has. If records aren’t kept better than we could see a lot of luxuries go by the wayside. “US Lacks Data on Supply of Minerals Critical to Economy and National Security”. 8 Oct. 2007. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. .” C. The longer our information is not kept correctly, the harder it is going to affect us in the future. When we realize that some critical minerals we need are no longer available, it is going to cause the price of luxurious goods go up. This will eventually cause the division between the middle class and upper class to divide even more.

I.

Conclusion Minerals play a very important part in our society today. Everyone comes in contact with them on a daily basis regardless if they know it or not. Our knowledge is what let us choose whether the impact is a productive or negative one. Knowledge of minerals has let us create TVs less than an inch thick. The lack of knowledge has caused us to threaten millions of people’s lives. We have been taking the correct steps forward to get the knowledge out there, we can’t stop though!

Works Cited Journal Articles Lillie, Kevin. "School program uncovers minerals issues. "Planning” April & May 2009: 23-23. Print. The author, Kevin Little, expresses the need for grade school students to understand the process and importance of minerals found in the world today. With the creation of PAN, Planning Aid North, students are being taught things that never even knew possible. PAN created a Program, the Minerals Under Your Feet Project, that has let kids look at the main types of rocks and minerals found in the North Pennines area. They also got to go on field trips to the Harehope Quarry and enjoyed learning about the earth’s geological timeline. It is good to finally be opening students up to the particles they walk on every day.

Moore, Paul. "Mineral Sands Mining." Mining Magazine Feb. 2008: 20-20. Print Paul Moore looks at some of the companies involved in the mining and processing of mineral sands. Important Products such as rutile, ilmenite, lueucoxene, and zircon can all be found. He then goes on to explain the different way to mine sand. You have a way called dredging which is usually used in wet mining and generally employs a cutter suction method. Then you also have the processing of the minerals as well.

Pattison, Stuart, and Devon Okehampton. "Mineral lack cuts TB resistance." Farmers

Weekly 16 May 2008: 12-14. Print.

In this magazine article, the author talks about the lack of minerals in the soil causes the TB in cattle to rise. Organic Farmers with closed herds greatly reduce the chances of cattle TB. Non-organic farmers are relying on incomplete, concentrated mineral fertilizers that are producing mineral deficiencies in their crops and stock. The missing minerals are being transferred to the sea-bed which is causing some raise of alarm.

Cotterill, R. M. J. "From Mine, Quarry, and well: Minerals." The Material World. New York:Cambridge UP, 2007. 154-81. Print. This is the chapter on minerals out the The Material World text book. It talks about where all the minerals come from. It also gives a brief history of minerals throughout the ages. It goes on to talk about the chemical and physical properties. You see a lot of pictures and tables that gives you more information about minerals as well.

Websites Metal Bulletin Daily Alerts. Euromoney Institutional Investor PLC, 2 July 2009. Web. 9

Dec. 2009.
Minerals>. African Minerals has raised $105 million dollars to fund its tonkolili iron ore project. Most of the funds came from institutional investors from North America and the United Kingdom. They sold 25.5 million shares for $4.11 with proceeds allowing them to reach the targeted goal of 10 billion tonnes of magnetite iron ore resource. This is important because it allows them to realize the full potential of world class iron ore deposit at tonkolili. “US Lacks Data on Supply of Minerals Critical to Economy and National Security”. 8 Oct.

2007. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. .

The staff writers of the space daily news talk about how the United States depends on nonfuel minerals every day. You can find these types of minerals in cell phones, computers, tooth paste, TVs, and even cars. The United States has a lack of data that tell us where the supply of these minerals comes from. Minerals that are highly “critical” or impossible to substitute need to be kept better track of. If this isnt don’t then things like LCD TVs, catalytic converters, and pacemakers could soon become a whole lot more expensive! "Mineral -." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Web. 10 Dec. 2009. . This is a fairly referenced and knowledgeable article from wikipedia. It defines what minerals are and then give a brief description of the different types. It then goes on to actually help classify different minerals by chemical and physical properties. It also

shows pictures beside the properties to help you see what they look like. Great basic information about the topic! Periodicals Crenshaw, Arthur B. "Proposed Asbestos Fund Divides Victims;." Lexis Nexis. The Washington Post, 20 Apr. 2004. Web. 9 Dec. 2009. Mr. Crenshaw talks about what asbestos is and how the asbestos fund is dividing victims. Asbestos consists of tiny silicate mineral fibers that, when inhaled, cause a variety of ailments such as mesothelioma. Companies that produced asbestos are being accused of concealing the mineral’s danger long after they knew about it. It has caused over 70 companies to go into bankruptcy and claims are still on the rise. The article is talking about whether patients want to wait for the claims or bypass the claim and let the court hear the case. Mohs, Frederich. "MINERALS." The Advertiser [Lafayette] 25 Sept. 2003: 2b-2b. Print Mr. Mohl tries to explain what minerals are and there basic functions in society today. He gives some of the most basic descriptions and types of minerals as well. He goes on to describe how color, streak, lustre, and tenacity can all help determine what kind of mineral it is. With this type of information, readers can get a general understand of what a mineral is.

Final Paper

The impact of scientific material on this world today is phenomenal. Not many would argue though that minerals might be one of the broadest scientific terms but they do play one of the biggest impacts of anything when it comes to our daily lives! They have helped create and fuel the world as it is today. Minerals were there in the beginning of our world and probably helped to create it. They also are what makes our cars get back and forth from work every day and also what most of our daily electronics consist of. The problem is that there is a general lack of knowledge about the importance of minerals in the world today. Businesses and schools are beginning to realize their importance and the impact it is having on our world. Also the country as a whole needs substantial improvement on recording our minerals and keeping track of the quantity we have left today. If this does not happen, we could see many turmoil’s in the future! A mineral is a naturally occurring solid formed through geological processes that has a chart eristic chemical composition and specific physical properties. It is only classified as a mineral if it is a solid and has a true crystalline structure. There are two distinct characteristics that will help you classify a mineral and understand there functions and properties. Some of the most basic physical properties would be its hardness, luster, color and streak. The physical hardness is generally measured using the MOHS scale. The scale is relative and goes from 1 to 10. Any mineral can scratch another mineral if it has a high MOHS hardness. Luster indicates the way a mineral’s

surface interacts with light and can range from dull to glassy. They are broken in to three basic categories of metallic, sub-metallic, and nonmetallic. The color will be the appearance of the mineral with reflected or transmitted light to the naked eye. Your streak refers to the color of the powder a mineral leaves after rubbing it on an unglazed streak plate. It might not always be the same color as the original mineral! Your chemical properties classify the minerals according to chemical composition. There are normally around 9 different chemicals classes that a mineral can fit in. Once you are able to classify a mineral and have a basic understanding of their properties, it will be easier to understand how greatly they impact our lives. The younger we start to study and understand minerals, the better off the future generations will be. Programs like PAN (Planning Aid North) and MUYF (Minerals Under your Feet) have already begun to open the eyes of communities around them about the general lack of knowledge about minerals. With time and funding, they are beginning to give kids in grade school a more hands on experience with the crystals. The lack of knowledge of minerals has bit our parents’ generation harshly in the past. People lives our ruined and over seventy companies are going bankrupt because of Asbestos. Asbestos consists of tiny silicate fiber that can cause a variety of ailments if inhaled including cancer. The claims are rising and more people are seeking monetary benefits but these benefits cannot tack on more days to these people’s tarnished lives. The companies are being scrutinized for

keeping the mineral’s danger concealed but a general lack of knowledge among the general public is what caused this tragedy. Uneducated farmers are also taking a hit with their lack of knowledge of minerals. The lack of minerals in the soil is causing more and more cattle to contract TB which eventually kills off the herd. With fewer minerals in the soil, the cattle cannot receive the correct diet and become more susceptible to disease. Researchers found that the more minerals in the cattle’s diet, the more they appeared less susceptible to disease.