Some uses of hard rocks

 We use things made from rocks and minerals every day. It is estimated that every person will use more than three million pounds of rocks, minerals and metals during their lifetime.

As each of us use the Earth's natural resources on a human time scale, it is important to consider that mineral resources form on geologic timescales, and the vast difference between the two. The items in this case are just a few of the ways that we use rocks and minerals in our everyday lives.

                                                      

EVERYDAY USES OF ROCKS AND MINERALS

 limestone,  slate

In the time before dry-erase boards, all education relied upon chalkboards made from slate, which is clay that has been cooked by heat and pressure deep within the earth. Chalk is a limestone made of the skeletons of millions of microbes that once lived at the bottom of the sea , so it's really a fossil.

Granite, Quartz, and Marble

Granite and marble counter tops are made from stone. Granite forms when magma cools within the earth and never erupts from a volcano. The slower it cools, the larger the mineral grains that form. Marble is formed from limestone that is cooked by heat and pressure within the earth.

Glass is formed by melting quartz, the primary mineral found in sand. Sand is all that's left over after granite is ground down by streams, rivers, and the action of ocean waves. As the mineral quartz, silica is very hard, which is why it stays intact in sand, even as all of the other minerals from granite are destroyed. When it's melted into glass, it loses its mineral strength, but becomes clearer and can be formed while it's molten.