Page 47 - SST Class 04

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Minerals

Minerals and I

Look around and you will find many things made from minerals. The plate from which you
eat, your scale, the buckle of your belt, the lead in your pencil, the fan over your head, the
refrigerator in your house, your school bus, your mother’s earrings and many more things
are all made from metals. Not only this, your father’s car and mother’s gas stove are all run

on minerals. So important these minerals are in our life. Let us know more about them.

Minerals are essential for our comfortable living. We use them for different purposes.
They are found deep in the earth. These minerals have to be dug out. For this, holes are
made in the earth. Some minerals can be dug out by drilling. These holes are called

mines . Digging out minerals from the mines is called mining .
When a mineral is mined, it is not in its pure form. Some impurities are mixed in it. It

is called mineral ore . It has to be purified. This process is called refining .

Types of Minerals

Many different minerals are found in the earth. They can be grouped into two types :
metallic minerals and non-metallic minerals .

India : Minerals 47