thumb|Iron ore ([[banded iron formation)]] thumb|Manganese ore – [[psilomelane (size: 6.7 × 5.8 × 5.1 cm)]] thumb|Lead ore – [[galena and anglesite (size: 4.8 × 4.0 × 3.0 cm)]]
AI overview
Ore is a naturally occurring mineral or rock that contains valuable metals like iron, manganese, or lead in concentrations worth extracting. It matters because these metals extracted from ore are essential raw materials used to make countless products we rely on in modern life.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Article
17 sectionsContents
- Gangue and tailings
- Ore deposits
- Classification
- Magmatic deposits
- Metamorphic deposits
- Porphyry copper deposits
- Sedimentary deposits
- Manganese nodules
- Extraction
- Hazards
- History
- Trade
- Important ore minerals
- See also
- References
- Further reading
- External links
thumb|Iron ore ([[banded iron formation)]] thumb|Manganese ore – [[psilomelane (size: 6.7 × 5.8 × 5.1 cm)]] thumb|Lead ore – [[galena and anglesite (size: 4.8 × 4.0 × 3.0 cm)]]
Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. Ore grade refers to the concentration of the desired material it contains. The value of the metals or minerals a rock contains must be weighed against the cost of extraction to determine whether it is of sufficiently high grade to be worth mining and is therefore considered an ore. A complex ore is one containing more than one valuable mineral.