ABSTRACT
The Earth’s Crust is the topmost solid layer of the Earth which has a thickness of 30–35 km in the continents and 5–6 km in the oceans. The use of minerals has been instrumental in raising the standard of living of mankind. The sophisticated world of today is largely the result of the enlarged use of minerals for various purposes. Metallic minerals are the minerals from which a metal is extracted. Minerals do not occur singly in the earth’s crust. They occur in association with several other minerals. Gangue Minerals are usually the non-metallic minerals associated with ore minerals which are worthless as a source for that metal or otherwise. Geologists conduct a geological survey and estimate the ore reserves, their quality and tenor. Mining engineers mine the ore and bring it to the surface of the earth. Mineral Engineers beneficiate the ore to higher tenor.
