A Mineral is a naturally occurring substance found under the earth's crust, which has been formed as a result of various Geological processes occurring over substantial periods of time. It would not be wrong to mention that almost each & every utility or commercial substance in the contemporary world has been produced from a particular Mineral or a combination of various Minerals. Nothing can be conceived without Minerals. They constitute the backbone of any nation, since the Economic, Infrastructural & Industrial growth, besides the all-important National Security, of a country depends on its reserves of Minerals & the technology to extract & utilize them.
Minerals have distinct & characteristic Physical & Chemical properties, & are the primary sources of all the naturally occurring Metals on earth. Minerals can be either Metallic or Non-Metallic, depending upon their compositions. A Mineral may consist of either only one Metal or a number of different Metals. The Study of Minerals is called 'Mineralogy'. The important 'General Characteristics' of any Mineral are as follows:
Natural Occurrence, i.e., not produced 'Artificially' or 'Man-made'
Constituent of Rocks
Inorganic Composition & Usually Abiogenic Origin, i.e., not produced from any living organism like plants & animals
Physical State - Solid; Stable at normal temperature ranges of the earth's surface
Fixed (or narrowly variable) Chemical Composition; Either a Pure Element, or a Chemical Compound, or a mixture of Chemical Compounds
Orderly Crystalline StructureThere are over 4000 Minerals known to mineralogists, who have identified & characterized them based on their Physical & Chemical properties. Some common examples of Minerals are Limestone, Quartzite, Feldspars, Micas, Haematite, Gypsum, Gold, Asbestos, various kinds of gems etc.
Difference between Minerals & Ores
Mineral Prospecting & Exploration
Mineral/Ore Processing or Dressing or Ores Beneficiation
images of Some Common Minerals
Difference between Rocks & Minerals
Classification of Minerals
Rock-Forming Minerals
Properties of MineralsSpectro Analytical Labs Ltd. realizes the importance of the aspect of Quality of Minerals, since these are used as 'Raw Materials' in almost all manufacturing industries like Cement, Ceramics, Steel, Paints, Fertilizers, Automobiles, and Semiconductors etc. Spectro has been assisting these industries in selecting the appropriate & suitable Minerals which fulfill the standard specifications set by various National & International agencies.
| Iron ores | Maganese Ores | Asbestos |
|---|---|---|
| Haematite | Maganite Braunite | Chrysolite(White Asbestos) |
| Building Stones | Cement Raw materials | Refractory |
| Granitee | Gypsum | Sillimanite |
| Limestone | Limestone | Kaynite |
| Basalt | Bauxite | Andalusite |
| Sandstone | Mineral Pigments | Abrasive materials |
| Quartzite | Hematite | Graphite |
| Talc | Chromitee | Emery Grains |
| Slate | Aluminum Ores | Ceramic Materials |
| Sillimanite | Bauxite | Kaolin (China Clay) |
| Molybednum Ores | Copper Ores | Ball Clay |
| Molybdnite | Malachite | Fire Clay |
| Wulfenite | Azurite | Wollastonite |
| Magnesium Ores | Zirconium Ores | Lead Ores |
| Magnesite | Zircon | Galena |
| Zinc Ores | Zirconolite | Cerussite |
| Sphalerite, Smithsonite | Zircophyllite | Anglesite |
| Loss on Ignition | Iron Oxide | Calcium Oxide |
|---|---|---|
| Acid insolubles | Potassium Oxide | Barium Oxide |
| Water solubles | Sodium Oxide | Free lime |
| Dead Burnt lime | Silica | Magnesia |
| Acid solubles | Phosphates | Manganese |
| Moh's Hardness | Zirconium | Fluorine |
| Specific Gravity | Heavy metals | Chlorides |
| Sieve analysis | Boron | Free lime |
| Free silica | Cobalt | Alumina |
| Titania | Sulphates | Copper |
| Chromium | Zinc | Nickel |
| Molybdenum | Tellurium | Carbon |
| Lead | Available lime | Carbonates |
| Selenium | Ash content |
XRF (X-Ray Fluorescence) Spectrometer
XRD (X-Ray Diffraction) Spectrometer RIGAKU
CP-OES (Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectrometer)
AAS (Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer)
UV-Visible Spectrophotometer
Turbidity Meter