Common Types of Minerals Found in the Philippines and Their Uses As we all know, Philippines is rich in resources and

that includes Mineral Resources. We have tons of mineral deposits that are scattered in our islands and in this blog, i will discuss some of the abundant mineral resources found here in the philippines. Where are those minerals commonly found and the typical use of those minerals once extracted/mined. But before that, let us first define what are MINERALS. According to "thefreedictionary.com", they are a natural occurring , homogeneous inorganic solid substance having a definite chemical composition and characteristic crystalline structure, color, and hardness. and anything that concentration of these minerals,that has a potential economic value is considered a mineral resource. Types of Minerals in the Philippines: a.) Gold - Baguio and Paracale, Masbate, Surigao and Masara Common Use: Jewelries, Metal and Optics coating, Description: One of the most popular mineral in the world because of its value. Used in making rings, necklaces and more. Popular looking like a Gold bar. Rumors says that Yamashita hid his Gold here in the Philippines. b.) Copper - Surigao Del Norte (Philex Mining) Common Use: Electrical Application, Construction, Antibacterial, Coins and sculptures. Description: Almost 65% of produced copper is used in Electrical Applications because copper is popular with its high conductivity. Has a distinct color of reddish brown. c.) Chromite - South of Luzon, Coto,Zambales Northern Luzon Common Use: Metal Additive, Chemical use Description: It is one of the most important mineral that is used in alloy making. Added because of its hardness and allows less oxidation and corrosion to a metal once added with chromite. d.) Platinum - Zambales, Samar Islands, Cebu Common Use: catalytic converter(automobiles), jewelry, hard disks Description: One of the most valuable metal in our industry today because it is widely used in different industries. almost 70 percent of platinum production is used by the jewelry industry and the catalyctic industry. e.) Gravel - Common Use: Construction Description: Widely used as a construction material like in roads, buildings and houses. Also used in gardens and aquariums for design purposes. f.) Silver - Common Use: jewelry, silverware,dental industry, photography

Description: Silver is actually the highest electrical and thermal conductor. but not typically use because of its higher price than copper. --------There are still many types of abundant minerals that can be found in the Philippines but the critical question is that how are these minerals be efficiently used. Can our industry efficiently use it? Why cant we excel in mining industry even though we have abundant resources? Is it the Government? or is it Us? Why are we letting other countries use our resources. Why are they the ones who gets a profit not us. Maybe the government is lacking in focus in this industry and just allowing other investors in manipulating this industry. If only our country would develop this industry and find a way that can be efficiently used in mining, for sure, our Country would be a bigger and a better country. Proper organization and development is what we need in this industry. by: Ryan Christopher S. Reyes Source: http://ns-minerals-ust.blogspot.com/2012/01/common-types-of-minerals-found-in.html

MINERAL RESOURCES
The richness of the Philippines in terms of mineral resources is being attributed to its location at the western fringes of the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire a ground found to be super loaded with mineral deposits. Globally, we are ranked 5th as most mineralized country in the world.

Situationer:The Philippines is situated along the Circum-Pacific Rim of Fire, where the processes of volcanism and plate convergence caused the deposition of minerals, both metallic and non-metallic. In fact, the large reserves of various kinds of minerals beneath our ground has put the country in the world mineral map as 5th mineral country in the world, 3rd in gold reserves, 4th in copper, and 5th in nickel. Around 9 million hectares, or 30% of the countrys total land area of 30 million hectares, are believed to contain important metallic mineral deposits; while 5 million hectares are also known to be potential sites for non-metallic mineral reserves. The countrys offshore areas, which cover around 2.2 million square kilometers, also contain placer minerals, including gold, magnetite and chromite-bearing sands, aggregate resources like sand and gravel, decorative stones, and polymetallic sulfide deposits. In all, the countrys estimated mineral reserves are placed at about 14.5 billion metric tons of metallic minerals and about 67.66 billion metric tons of non-metallic minerals. Among our important metallic minerals found in abundance in various parts of the country include gold, copper, iron, chromite, nickel, cobalt and platinum, while our non-metallic resources include sand and gravel, limestone, marble, clay, and other quarry materials. The most prolific copper and gold producers in the Philippines are found in the Baguio and Mankayan districts, province of Benguet; although the Surigao-Davao districts are also contributing much to Philippine gold production. Major producers of nickel are in Palawan and Surigao.
Source: http://www.denr.gov.ph/index.php/component/content/article/16.html