Appendix 4: Economic Minerals
| Mineral | Ore or Industrial Mineral | Uses | Notable Canadian Sources |
| Azurite & malachite | Ore – Cu-bearing carbonates | Ornamental stones, gemstones | |
| Barite (BaSO4) | Industrial | High specific gravity, useful additive to drill mud when drilling for oil. | Fireside Mine near Watson Lake, Yukon, and Walton Barite Mine in Nova Scotia |
| Bauxite (Al oxide) | Ore – Aluminum | Used to produce synthetic corundum | Bauxite is mined primarily in Australia, China and Guinea, but is refined at several smelters across Canada including in Kitimat, BC and in Québec |
| Bornite (Cu5FeS4) | Ore – Copper | Source of copper for electrical equipment, wiring, construction | Sudbury mining district, Ontario |
| Calcite (CaCO3) | Industrial | Fertilizer, filler in paints, used to make lime (CaO) for use in remediation of acid rock drainage, decorative (marble statues) | The limestone quarry in Exshaw feeds directly into the Lafarge Exshaw Cement Plant, the largest in Canada! |
| Chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) | Ore – Copper | Source of copper for electrical equipment, wiring, construction | Highland Valley Copper Mine near Kamloops, B.C. |
| Corundum (Al2O3) | Industrial | Abrasive (hardness = 9!), gemstones (ruby and sapphire) | |
| Diamond (C) | Industrial | Abrasive (hardness = 10!), gemstones | Northwest Territories, northern Ontario and Alberta |
| Dolomite (CaMg(CO3)2) | Industrial | Building stone, ornamental stone, source of Mg for metallurgy and chemical industry (Mg-salts) | |
| Feldspar minerals (framework silicates) | Industrial | Porcelain, glass, and ceramics; also used as gemstones (e.g., moonstones) | |
| Fluorite (CaF2) | Industrial | Source of fluorine for metallurgy, chemical industries (e.g., production of hydrofluoric acid), clear varieties used to make lenses | Madoc, Ontario, and Rock Candy Mine in B.C. |
| Galena (PbS) | Ore – Lead | Lead-acid batteries, ceramics and glasses, ammunition | Silvertip Mine in northern B.C., Sullivan Mine near Kimberley, B.C. |
| Graphite (C) | Industrial | Industrial lubricant for machinery, pencil “lead” | |
| Gypsum (CaSO4 · 2H2O) | Industrial | Wallboard (dry wall) for its natural fire retardant properties | Nova Scotia – the most productive gypsum mining area in the world! |
| Halite (NaCl) | Industrial | Table and road salt, source of Na and Cl for chemical industry | Goderich, Ontario – largest salt mine in the world! |
| Hematite (Fe2O3) | Ore – Iron | Source of iron for production of steel for building, historically used as a pigment | Québec-Labrador border, Baffinland Iron Mines in Nunavut |
| Kaolinite (Al2Si2O5(OH)4) | Industrial | Source of clay for ceramics, very pure clay is required to produce high quality ceramics like porcelain | |
| Magnetite (Fe3O4) | Ore – Iron | Source of iron for production of steel for building, used to produce “heavy concete” for nuclear power plants | Québec-Labrador border, Baffinland Iron Mines in Nunavut |
| Muscovite (KAl2(AlSi3O10)(OH)2)) | Industrial | Adds the “glitter” to cosmetics, used as an insulator in some electrical equipment | Most muscovite is mined in India, Brazil, and China, but phlogopite, a similar mica mineral, is mined near Ottawa, Ontario |
| Pyrite (FeS2) | Industrial | Source of sulphur for chemical industry (e.g., production of sulphuric acid) | |
| Quartz (SiO2) | Industrial | As pure quartz sand used to make glass, minor gemstone, fracking sand for oil extraction | |
| Sylvite (KCl) | Industrial | Main source of potash for fertilizer, source of potassium | Saskatchewan – sylvite is the provincial mineral! |
| Sphalerite (ZnS) | Ore – Zinc | Metallurgy (creating metal alloys), pharmaceutical and manufacturing industries, used in paints, rubber, cosmetics, electrical equipment | Silvertip Mine in northern B.C., Sullivan Mine near Kimberley, B.C. |
| Talc (Mg(OH) silicate) | Industrial | Key ingredient in talcum powder (baby powder), also used in cosmetics, paper making, paint, pharmaceuticals | Appalachians region in southwestern Québec |
| Uraninite (UO2) | Ore – Uranium | Nuclear power generation, used to produce radioisotopes for medical purposes (e.g., chemotherapy for cancer patients) | Athabasca Basin in northern Saskatchewan – hosts the world’s largest high-grade deposits! |
definition
the production of acid from oxidation of sulphide minerals (especially pyrite) in either naturally or anthropogenically exposed rock
