Processing our Natural Resources
| Resource | How do we process the resource to make it useful? |
| Barite | Barite forms in veins and cracks in existing rock, frequently limestone It is less soluble than the limestone with which it is deposited, so when the limestone erodes, the barite is concentrated. .Barite is mined in open pit mines which extend to depths of 60 to 80 feet |
| Chert | Chert forms in nodules in limestone, and in horizontal beds interbedded with limestone and shale. It is less soluble than the limestone with which it is deposited, so when the limestone erodes, the chert is concentrated.Chert is dug out of surface mines and dredged from stream beds. |
| Clay | Clay is mined in open pit mines. |
| Chalcopyrite (copper) | Chalcopyrite is mined for copper, sulfur, and even iron. Moreover, it is found with other useful minerals, such as zinc. The separation process, therefore is complicated. The ore is processed by floatation. |
| Coal | Coal forms in horizontal beds interbedded with sandstone, shales, siltstones, clays, and conglomerate. Where the coal is close to the surface, it is mined in open pits. Where it is further underground, tunnels are dug to access the coal. With advances in technology, strip mining has become increasingly feasible, even when it means removing the whole top of a mountain. |
| Fluorite | Fluorite is deposited in veins often along with barite. It is frequently found in deposits that are too small and scattered to be profitable to mine. |
| Galena (lead) | Galena forms as veins in limestone throughout east and middle Tennessee. It is generally found with other useful minerals such as zinc, and is mined along with these other minerals. |
| Ilmenite (titanium) | Ilmenite erodes from igneous rocks. Since it is stable and insoluble, it survives and is found in sand sized grains mixed with silicate sand. |
| Iron Oxides | Iron oxides (Magnetite, Hematite, Limonite) are mined from open pits. Deposits in Tennessee are generally relatively small and scattered. |
| Limestone | Limestone forms in layers as a sedimentary rock. It is quarried from open pits. |
| Mussel Shells | Mussel shells were historically dredged from the bottoms of streams and rivers. Increasingly, now they are farmed. |
| Oil/Natural Gas | Oil is extracted by wells |
| Phosphate | Phosphate forms as a sedimentary rock mixed with limestone. Since it is less soluble than limestone, it is concentrated in cracks and veins when the limestone erodes. |
| Saltpeter | Saltpeter crystallizes out of solution, most frequently in caves. It is mined by being dissolved from crushed rock |
| Sand & Gravel | Sand and gravel are dredged from rivers and streams, and sometimes dug from quarries. |
| Sandstone | Sandstone is quarried from open pits. |
| Sphalerite (zinc) | Sphalerite is mined both from open pits and underground mines. |