5.5 Human Interaction with Rocks: Environmental and Economic Consequences
Rocks provide us with important natural resources (resources that come from nature and that humans can use).
How We Use Natural Resources
Oil is used as a fuel source and to produce petrol, tar and plastic products.
Natural gas is used in the heating of homes and for cooking.
Coal is burned to generate heat in our homes and in industry.
Gold is used in jewellery and in the medical, electronics and automotive industries.
Diamonds, metals and precious stones are all used in jewellery.
Gravel, stone and sand are used as building materials.
They are used in concrete and some decorative stones are used on the front of buildings.
Metal ores such as copper and lead are used in pipes and batteries.
Copper is used in the plumbing industry.
Zinc is used to rust- proof cars.
These resources can be mined or extracted from the earth in three different ways. 3 Shaft mining Slag heap 6. Extracting natural resources 2 Quarrying 1 Drilling Pipeline