Treasure Hunt: Find the Ore
Match each ore to the metal it yields.
Setting up the bench…
What this lesson covers
Why it matters
Not every shiny rock is worth mining. An ore is a mineral rich enough to pull the metal out at a profit.
Predict first
What makes a mineral an 'ore'?
A mineral is any naturally occurring compound of a metal; an ore is a mineral from which the metal can be extracted economically. Each metal has characteristic ores.
- The metal can be extracted from it profitably — correct
- It simply looks shiny and valuable
- It contains any trace of metal at all
What you do
Match each ore to the metal it yields.
Check yourself
Bauxite is an ore of…
Bauxite (hydrated Al₂O₃) is the chief ore of aluminium.
Every ore is a mineral, but not every mineral is an ore, because…
An ore is just a mineral worth extracting the metal from.
- aluminium — correct
- iron
- zinc
- only some minerals are rich enough to extract the metal profitably — correct
- minerals contain no metal
- ores are manufactured, not mined