MINERALS AND MINING IN SOUTH AFRICA (PART 1)

MINING AND COAL RESOURCES OF SOUTH AFRICA

Watch the following video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bosiffFrRw8

What are minerals?

A mineral is a substance formed in the earth. Minerals are not made by animals or plants. Minerals that you will probably have about are gold, silver and iron. Salt is also a mineral.

Some minerals like calcium are very important for our health. This is because our bones are made up of calcium.

The earth contains minerals These minerals were formed at the same time as the earth was formed. Some minerals like iron are common. Other minerals like gold and platinum are very rare. There is so little gold and platinum in the earth that it would not be worth trying to mine it in most places. The places where a mineral is mined are places where that mineral is most common.

Because no new minerals are

being made in the earth, once

all the minerals have been

dug out of the earth there will

be no more left. We need to

think carefully about this

when we are thinking about

the future.

Minerals are called non-

renewable resources because

once they are used up, we

cannot get or make anymore

THE MAIN MINERALS MINED IN SOUTH AFRICA

GOLD

Gold has been mined in South Africa

for a very long time. The golden rhino

found at Mapungubwe is over 800

years old. Gold has been mined in the

Johannesburg area since the 1880s.

A one time South Africa produced

more gold than any other country in

the world. However, most of the gold

has been mined and South Africa is

now only the fourth largest producer

of gold in the world.

Gold has a number of uses:

- It is something people can buy

which keeps its value.

- It is used to make jewellery.

- It is used in computers.

- It is used as a medicine.

Gold is very heavy…

This is the HEAVIEST gold

bar in the world!!

It weighs 250 kilograms!

SILVER

We do not have any silver mines in South Africa.

The silver produced in South Africa comes from the

same mines as the gold.

Silver has many uses:

- It is used to make jewellery.

- It is used in computers and cell phones.

- Dentists use silver in fillings for teeth

PLATINUM

PLATINUM

Platinum is the most expensive mineral mined in South Africa. South Africa has the largest amount of platinum in the world.

Platinum has many uses:

- It is used to make jewellery.

- It is used in cars to change poisonous exhaust gases into gases that are not poisonous

- It is used to make medicines to treat cancer

The rich platinum reefs in South Africa were formed

about two billion years ago. At that time a very large

amount of hot, melted rock came pushing up towards

the surface of the earth. Because there was so much

hot, melted rock it took hundreds of years to cool down

into solid rock. This allowed platinum, which is heavy,

to settle in layers towards the bottom of the melted

rock. This means that there is enough platinum in

these reefs to be able to be mined.

DIAMONDS

Diamonds are made from carbon. This is

the same substance that coal and braai

charcoal are made out of.

Diamonds are formed in volcanoes. In the

volcanoes the bits of carbon are made

very hot. They are also placed under a

huge amount of pressure. This changes

the little bits of carbon into diamonds.

Diamonds have two main uses:

1. Gemstone diamonds are used in jewellery.

2. Industrial diamonds – diamonds are so hard

that they are used in tools that cut and polish.

Only a diamond can polish another diamond.

IRON ORE & CHROME

Iron ore has iron in it. It is one of the most

common minerals in the earth. South Africa has

large amounts of iron ore.

The main use of iron ore is to make steel. Steel

is iron with a small amount of carbon added to

it. Most of the metal things you come across in

your everyday life are made of steel.

In case you did not know:

Ore – the rocks or soil in which a mineral is

found.

Chrome: South Africa has the largest

amount of chrome in the world. This

mineral was formed in the same way as

platinum.

Chrome is used to cover metal with a silver

surface. This is called a chrome plating.

Chrome is mixed with iron to form stainless

steel. Stainless steel has a silvery look. It is

very strong and cannot rust like ordinary

steel.

COPPER & MANGANESE South Africa has large amounts of copper. Copper is a

very useful metal.

Electricity travels very easily through copper. Electrical

cables are made out of copper.

Thieves steal copper because it is a useful and valuable

metal.

Most water pipes used in buildings are made from

copper.

Copper is also used to make cooking pots and other

household goods.

South Africa has the largest amount of manganese

in the world.

It is mixed with steel to make it stronger and stop it

from rusting.

It is mixed with aluminium to form a metal that is

not damaged by such things as the rain and sun.

It is used to make lead replacement petrol. South

Africa no longer uses lead in its petrol because lead

is a very poisonous mineral which is bad for

people’s health. However, some older cars cannot

run on unleaded petrol as it damages their engines,

so they have to run on lead replacement petrol

which has manganese in it

ACTIVITYIN YOUR GEOGRAPHY WORKBOOK, WRITE TODAY’S DATE AND HEADING ‘MINERALS AND MINING

IN SOUTH AFRICA’. UNDERLINE BOTH.

List the ways in which each of the following minerals are used:

1. Gold:

2. Silver:

3. Platinum:

4. Diamonds:

5. Iron ore:

6. Copper:

7. Manganese: