Minerals are naturally occurring organic substances on the earth. Ore is a naturally occurring solid material. They can be sold at a good amount of profit as they are available in the form of rock.
They are available in many types and mostly undergo the process of mining. The downside of minerals is that they cannot be used for any metal extraction purposes.
Key Takeaways
- Minerals are naturally occurring inorganic substances with a specific chemical composition and crystal structure.
- Ores are rocks containing a high concentration of valuable minerals that can be economically extracted.
- All ores are minerals, but not all are classified as ores due to their economic viability.
Mineral vs Ore
A mineral is a naturally occurring inorganic solid substance, found in the earth’s crust, with a definite chemical composition and crystal structure. An ore is a naturally occurring substance that contains a valuable metal or mineral that can be extracted and processed for profit.
The mineral is a solid chemical compound. It has a well-defined compound structure that occurs in pure form. According to geology, it excludes components that occur only in living beings.
It has a definite chemical composition with an ordered atomic arrangement. It will occur naturally. Humans cannot make minerals. Minerals are found in cereals, milk, bread, and eggs.
Ore is a naturally occurring solid material. It is a source from which valuable metals are extracted. It contains metal or metal components in sufficient amounts. This makes them worthwhile extracting.
The method used in the extraction depends on the reactivity of the metal and also the stability of the ore. Some of the examples of ore are cinnabar, zinc blend, and bauxite.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Mineral | Ore |
|---|---|---|
| Crystalline structure | They have a definite structure. | They don’t have a definite structure. |
| Metal percentage | It may or may not contain good metal percentages. | It contains a good percentage of metals. |
| Definition | They are natural inorganic substances present in the earth’s crust. | They are minerals that can be extracted conveniently and economically. |
| Metals | They cannot be easily extracted. | They can be easily extracted. |
| Examples | Calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sulfur. | Ore of mercury, ore of zinc, an ore of tin |
What is Mineral?
It is a solid and naturally occurring inorganic substance. It might seem a bit of a mouthful, but when you break it down, it becomes simpler. It is normally crystalline. This is because of the result of the geological process.
It is a substance formed naturally on earth. People who study minerals are called mineralogy. It can be either made up of single chemical elements or a compound. They have a solid and inorganic structure.
Minerals are available in many types. They are not evenly distributed. They are concentrated on a rock formation in particular areas. Some of the examples are iron, copper, lead, and silver.
There are around 4000 minerals available on the earth’s surface. Minerals are divided into 2 types called macro and trace minerals.
The meaning of macro is big. This mentions that the body needs more macrominerals than trace minerals. The macro mineral group has calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, arsenic, sodium, and chloride. Ice is a mineral, even though it consists of water.
This is because water is liquid. It is not in solid form. The mineral world can be split into different objects, provided that they have similar properties. The chemical basis used for classifying minerals is an anion.
What is Ore?
It is sediment or natural rock that has one or more valuable minerals. It can be mined and sold at a profit. It is extracted from the earth through the process of mining. Then they are treated or redefined using the process of smelting.
This process is done for extracting valuable minerals or metals. It can be either metallic or non-metallic. Most of the ores require further treatment for the extraction of the valued metal. It can be used as mined.
It can be treated with minimal treatment such as crushing and screening like road salt. Some of the ores are dissolved or melted and pumped like sulfur. All ores are minerals. It is used for industrial purposes.
It is a body of rock, which contains a high enough concentration of a metallic or non-metallic miner or resource that the material can be profitably queried or mined, refined, or otherwise processed to separate the good stuff. That good stuff is shipped to a buyer and sold.
In mining, the ore is a rock that contains metal or minerals in concentrations high enough to make them profitable to mine. It not only brings benefits to miners but also meets people’s demand for a certain energy.
Therefore, it is considered to be important. Its useful metals can be included in precious gemstones as well. An example of ore is zinc blend is an ore of zinc.
Main Differences Between Mineral and Ore
- The definition of Mineral is they are a natural inorganic substance that is present on the earth’s crust. On the other hand, the definition of ore is they are minerals that can be extracted conveniently and economically.
- Examples of minerals are calcium, magnesium, potassium, and sulfur. On the other hand, examples of ores are ore of mercury, zinc, and tin.
- In mineral, metal extraction is impossible. On the other hand, in ore, metal extraction can be easily done.
- Minerals have a definite crystalline structure. On the other hand, ores have no definite crystalline structure.
- Minerals may or may not contain good metal percentages. On the other hand, ores contain a good amount of metal percentages.
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=DQYcBQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=Difference+Between+Mineral+and+Ore+&ots=HSk-tfzeXm&sig=Me5g4xeQd1qmH09kQLS1w4FvNa4
- https://eprints.nmlindia.org/3706
Last Updated : 24 July, 2023
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
