Nonrenewable Mineral Resource Extraction & Processing Chapter 15 Essential Question #1 What are nonrenewable mineral resources & how does the USGS classify them? Minerals & Mineral Resources Minerals An element or inorganic compound that occurs naturally and is solid with a regular crystalline structure Ex: Salt / Quartz / Diamond Mineral Resources A concentration of naturally occurring material in or on the earth?s crust that can be extracted & processed into useful materials at an affordable cost Ex: fossil fuels / metallic minerals / nonmetalic minerals Nonrenewable Mineral Resources Fossil Fuels Coal, Oil, Natural Gas Metallic Mineral Resources Aluminum, Steel, Iron, Copper Strategic metals: manganese, cobalt, chromium, platinum Nonmetallic Mineral Resources