Since ancient civilization, humans have applied mining techniques when mining rocks and minerals on Earth’s surface. The importance of minerals in our everyday lives can be recognized all around us. From eating nutrient-rich foods to powering smartphones with copper, almost everything we use is a mineral resource. Here are a few common ways we use minerals today.
Mined minerals are an important part of human nutrition. Iron, manganese, selenium, and calcium all provide day-to-day nutrients that the body needs in order to function. Foods that are full of micronutrients (or vitamins and minerals) can help strengthen cells, fight against harmful viruses, and boost the immune system.
Minerals can be found in many of the products that we know and love. In fact, we use or consume more than 25 minerals daily. Some of these include:
Minerals and metals became an integral part of modern technology because they have the power to create everything from home energy storage to AA batteries.