1. Where does man mainly get his materials from?
The Earth’s crust.

2. What materials are available? Abundant?
iron
gold
phosphate
coal
oil
etc.

3. Where are these materials found?
atmosphere
nitrogen
oxygen
(gases)

hydrosphere
salt (NaCl)
chlorine
sodium hydroxide
hydrogen

biosphere
mix of many different substances

lithosphere
gold
iron
phosphates
coal
etc.

4. Are elements evenly or unevenly distributed across the atmosphere?
unevenly

5. How are the elements found?
(as pure elements or minerals)
mostly found as minerals
A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes.

Minerals have a:
::characteristic chemical composition
::a highly ordered atomic structure
::specific physical properties
It is usually found as rock

6. How are precious materials recovered?
This is done by mining, which entails the process of:
:: separating them from their surroundings by physical means
:: and processing them to recover the desired metal or other precious material.

7. Why is there a need to mine?
Most minerals are now found only underground, hence mining is required to get to these materials.

8. What is meant by the following terms?
resources
a source of supply

reserves
to keep, store or save for future use
an amount of a mineral, fossil fuel, or other resource in storage for later use

ore
a metal-bearing mineral or rock, or a native metal, that can be mined at a profit

ore body
source of ore, collection of ore

mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body